Fluctuating asymmetry analyses: a primer

Abstract

The developmental stability of an organism is reflected in its ability to produce an ‘ideal’ form under a particular set of conditions (Zakharov, 1992). The lower its stability, the greater the likelihood it will depart from this ‘ideal’ form. Ideal forms are rarely known a priori. However, bilateral structures in bilaterally symmetrical organisms offer a precise ideal, perfect symmetry, against which departures may be compared (Palmer & Strobeck, 1986). Thus they provide a very convenient method for assessing deviations from the norm, and studying the factors that might influence such deviations.